St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-27

man after moment.
whats the use of nagging, Jim?'
remarked the other guard. '.Give the
boy q chance to turn round, won't
you?" f... a
Hell get turned around soon
enough, d-n him !" grOwled the other.
did my work to The satisfaction of
the foreman. He was man who was
not down ON prisoner because of the
fact that he was a prisoner. He saw
that l was young and green, and he
was willing to give me a chance. l
worked very slow. but made no mis-
take and spoiled no material, and
when night came he quietly COM
plimented me, and added that we
should have no trouble. l did not tell
him that had been unjuStly sentenced,
but replied that should be glad to learn
the trade, and that purpOsed being dill
igent and faithful. Nothing further
was said to me by any of the officers for
a week. At the end of that time break
was made by two of the prisoners in my
corridor. In this prison there were four
corridors. each with a double tier of
cells, and each corridor holding 100 priS-
Oners. One of the men worked in the
shoe department and the other in the
trip-hammer shop. They had made a
false key and provided themselves with
rope, and they came within an ace of
getting clear. 1t was about the time the
inspectors were to make their semi
annual inspection, and this bold stroke
for liberty enraged the warden. AS
/ told you, only two men made
the attempt. When the rest of us
marched in to supper, and from thence
to our cells, these two men secreted
themselves in the yard. With their key
they opened the door Of stOrehOuse,
aud from its roof they calculated on
throwing their rope over the wall. That
they were not missed at the supper
table was piece of gross carelessness
on the part of the guards, but their
absence was not detected until we
marched to our cells. Then great hue
and cry was raised, and in the course of
half an hour they were found and
brought in. The law of the state for
bids corporal punishment except the
strikes an officer. The only punishment
for attempted escape is forfeiture Of
''gOod time" The warden took it into
his head that general revolt was i'm
minent, or that there was conspiracy,
and all that night our corridor was kept
in an uprOar.
Prisoners conspire when there is to be
a revolt, because they must have the
strength, but it is very rare that plan
or plot to escape includes more than
two men. Ninety-five per cent of the
escapes include only one convict.
Secrecy is the thing desired, and few
convicts trust each other. Common
sense would have taught the warden
that only two men were in the plan to
escape, but he insisted on pulling diff
tioning and abusing them. An old man,
who occupied the cell on my right, was
taken out and questioned. He answered
truly that he had no knowledge, but
the warden ordered him dashed up and
whipped. The man in the fourth cell
below was then taken out. He denied
all knowledge, and was given a dozen
lashes. Three others were then taken
out and questioned, and their ''gOOd
time" cancelled because they would not
Gown up" Then came my turn. When
was brought before the warden he
shouted:
''Ahl you pale-faced hOrse-stealer,
you know all about this"
II beg your pardon, sir, but l was
never within twenty feetOf either of the
men to my knowledge"
''DOn't lie to me, you whelp! Who
made that key?"
Il haven't the faintest knowledge.
SIR"
$50 you won't tell? "We'1l see about
that. Bring him down to the parlOr."
The parlOr meant the torture room.
made no protest until they were pro
ceeding to tie me up. Then l said:
'tMr. Warden, l know nothing what
ever either of the men or their plan Of
escape. If you strike me blow, | will
have the case investigated by the in
spectors If it costs me my life."
What? What's that?''
Irepeated my words. He drew off as
If to strike me with his first, but the
doctor called him aside, and they held
whispered consultation, after which l
was released and sent to my cell. As L
left the room the warden grOwled: 49,.
.AYou just wait, young man! I'll have
it out of you yeti!
[ was not pursued with any more bit
terness than many others. The warden
seemed to take his like or dislike to a
prisoner at first night, and nothing after
that would change his policy. The
greatest partially was shown all through
the place, and nothing is SO demOraliZ-
ing to good discipline as this. Men who
could neither read nor write nor make
figure were placed in charge of store
and stock rooms. Murdere1s and
burglars were given "SOft snaps.
in the kitchen, and One-year men, sent
up for their first Offense, were worked
like slaves, and the bitterness of their
feelings hundred times intensified. 1t
is but natural that a man deprived of
his liberty will seek to regain it. Prison
escapes, therefore, depend only upon
opportunities. However, when you read
NJ in CQfnIV
sympathize with the prisoners. 1t is
prison abuses which drive cOnvicts to
revolt. The man sent to prison for
crime is still under the influence of the
law. Prison rules are his laws. There
is rule which says that prisoners are
to be fed on wholesome food, and many
of the articles of diet are specified. He
is to have fresh meat so often. The
provisions are to be substantial and
good. The steward and warden can
make "divy" by purchasing cheap and
unwhOlesOme provisions, and l opine
that there are few prisons in this cOun-
try where this swindling of cOnvicts is
not practiced to greater or less extent.
A revolt took place In our prison six
weeks after | entered it. did not know
what the fare should be. [ knew that
the provisions were very bad, the meat
being very poor and nearly always
tainted, and the vegetables hardly fit for
cattle, but supposed that that was as
good as was allowed us. The defraud-
ing of the prisoners began about a
month before my arrival. Previous to
that, for year or more, there had been
no cause for complaint. On the day the
inspectors came three good meals were
provided, and one of them was heard to
remark that we lived better than the
free mechanics. l heard few COM
plants, but did not suspect the deep
dissatisfaction existing. On certain
day as we marched in to dinner, $50 of
the 400 cOnvicts refused to touch din
ner, but sat with folded arms.
Of course an alarm was at
once raised, and in five minutes
the, warden was at hand. The silent;